Christian Pavihi Kumitau – 21139301

Dylan Veiagina- 13839271

Cellular

Communications

In The Pacific

- What are Cellular Communications

- What kind of cellular communications do we already have in the pacific

- What new forms of cellular communications are being introduced and could

help improve economic and social growth in the pacific

- The opportunities it brings the people of the pacific

- But also the risks that come with it

Overview

- Cellular communication is a form of communication technology that enables the

use of mobile phones. A mobile phone is a bidirectional radio that enables

simultaneous transmission and reception. Cellular communication is based on the

geographic division of the communication coverage area into cells, and within

cells. Each cell is allocated a given number of frequencies (or channels) that

allow a large number of subscribers to conduct conversations simultaneously.

Cellular Communications

- GSM communication technology is based on the GSM standard – the

first to use the cellular protocol that replaced the earlier first-generation

communication standard. This standard was developed by the European

Communications Standards Institute (ETSI), starting from 1982, for the

second generation (2G) of digital cellular communication.

Global System for Mobile (GSM)

- UTMS technology, based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA)

technology, is one of the third-generation (3G) technologies of mobile phone telephony.

This technology was designed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a

collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations to create a globally

applicable third-generation mobile phone system. In order to differentiate between UMTS

and other communication network technologies, it is sometimes marketed under the label

GSM3 – a name that emphasizes its place in the third generation, and the fact that it

replaced the GSM in the second generation system.

Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems

(UMTS)

- A majority of islands have at least a 3G coverage

- Very few islands have access to 4G

- Fiji is working with Huawei to develop 5G coverage to it’s islands

What kinds of Cellular Communications can

you find in the pacific now?

- 4G is a loose term for the fourth generation of cellular communications, offering

speeds that are about 10 times faster than they are on current third-generation, or

3G, networks.

- 5G is the 5th generation mobile network and is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps

peak data speeds, ultra low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity,

increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

The Inroduction of 4G & 5G

- 4G & 5G would be a great addition to many islands as it would provide a much

faster connection to the internet and make productivity much more faster. For

example mobile coverage in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu jumped

from less than half od the population in 2005 to 93 per cent of the population in

2014 and they’ve only gone up from there. For a long time many countries in the

pacific didn’t even have any access to mobile phones, at times people would have to

travel for hours just to make a phone call. So with it being more accessible, families

are able to keep in touch no matter where they are in the world. This would benefit

not only the people mentally and financially but also open them up to a world ever

evolving and the endless opportunities.

The Inroduction of 4G & 5G

Opportunities

- The introduction of cellular communications has made contacting family members

around the world a lot easier. Benefitting peoples mental health.

- The introduction of 4G and 5G networks will increase the desirability of foreign

investors to set up business on the islands

- More tourists will visit the islands

Risks

- Given where the pacific islands are located the risk of natural disasters could effect

coverage

- The electromagnetic radiation used by all mobile phone technologies has led some

people to worry about increased health risks, including developing certain types of

cancer

References

- https://www.globalspec.com/reference/66227/203279/introduction-to-global-

system-for-mobile-communication-gsm

- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-

release/2021/05/05/2223102/0/en/South-Pacific-Islands-Telecoms-Mobile-

and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses.html

- https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n4253/pdf/book.pdf

- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48616174

- https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/telecom-trends-

forecasts/8573-fiji-leads-pacific-islands-for-4g-and-5g-r-m.html

- https://www.zdnet.com/article/huawei-pushes-pacific-island-connectivity-

through-subsea-cables-4g-datacentres/

Roles

- Christian Pavihi-Kumitau: Head of Research , Powerpoint Design

- Dylan Veiagina: Also research , Head of Powerpoint Design

- We collaborated with everything in the project. Thank you for your time.

Ethical Issues

The ethical issues surrounding cellular communications in particular 5G vary from country

to country. While 5G is not yet available in the pacific the introduction would have a

massive impact on financial and social development. If we have an internet network

capable of being always on, we have the potential to have entire societies built into “the

cloud” so to speak — to the extent that almost every device, object, surface, building,

location is able to collect data and offer internet-based services and resources. The

pavement itself is tracking the speed at which you’re walking, your heart-rate, the shoes

you’re wearing, the route you’re taking. All as a means to hoover up data to then pass on

to whichever service suppliers or governmental organisations are willing to purchase it.

Just one aspect of what could be a city in which everything does similar things—

transport networks synced perfectly to provide ample transport at the right time based

on the amount of footfall through their station doors, billboards tracking how long your

eyeballs rest on certain images to target adverts to exactly your preferences and tastes.

(https://medium.com/the-politicalists/the-political-and-ethical-problems-of-5g-

internet-7c5ab0ba9458)

Ethical Issues

The exert referenced in the last slide mentions how your privacy is at risk with the

introduction of 5G. With the ever evolving technological space and the ultra fast speeds

that 5G brings , it has a mixed bag of effects on the people that large corporations could

take advantage of especially with people in the islands that aren’t used to these forms of

technology. There are also concerns that 5G can cause cancer , In 2011, the International

Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stated EMFs are “possibly carcinogenic” to

humans. The classification was determined by 30 scientists from 14 countries.

To date, most studies have examined the potential link between EMFs and brain cancer.

But the results have been inconsistent.

For example, a 2017 research review found that EMF radiation from mobile phones are

associated with glioma, a type of brain cancer. A 2018 study, on the other hand, did not

find a clear association between high frequency EMFs and brain tumors.

Again, more studies are needed to determine if 5G frequency can contribute to cancer

development. (https://www.healthline.com/health/is-5g-harmful#does-it-affect-

health) While the results are inconsistent we have to keep an open mind when accepting

new forms of technology into our society as the results could be deadly.